Julie Murray is the Regional Director of Teaching and Learning (Primary) across OneSchool Global’s 31 Australian campuses. With a busy schedule that leaves little time to pause and reflect, Julie may not always see the full extent of her influence, but her colleagues certainly do. Her leadership has made a lasting impression on the school and its people since she joined OneSchool Global in 2007.
Working for nearly two decades at a single employer is a no small feat, and naturally such a long tenure has thrown up its fair share of changes and hurdles across the journey. But for Julie, facing these challenges head-on and coming up with solutions is what she thrives on.
“When I started at OneSchool Global (OSG), the school had campuses across the country, but they ran independently, and we weren’t unified under a single brand. The biggest challenge I faced at OSG was uniting our 31 campuses into a connected primary network – aligning assignments (at OSG, an “assignment” is a complete unit of work – a contract between teacher and student covering what’s taught, what’s self-directed and how learning is demonstrated – rather than a single piece of homework) in all subject areas while navigating the geographical hurdles in a country as big as Australia. There were a lot of moving parts and complexity in bringing that vision to life, but I’m proud that you can now walk into any primary studio and find students all doing the same assignments.”
That national curriculum alignment is paying dividends, with student performance improving yearly and teacher confidence soaring under Julie’s oversight. Her leadership has helped foster a culture of trust, collaboration and continuous improvement for teachers and students alike.
“There’s a positive correlation between happy and engaged educators and student performance, so we want to build a high-performance culture where teachers flourish and students thrive academically.”
When asked about what attributes define her leadership style, Julie’s humility shines through. For her, it’s more about acknowledging the high-performing team that she works closely with every day rather than seeking plaudits for her own work.
“Our Head of Department (HOD) team do fabulous work and have really gelled as a team. The quality of assignments is constantly improving and we are seeing the benefits on the ground with results and student development. I’m lucky to be part of such a capable team that allows me to perform at my best each day. If I can play a small role in helping these leaders to grow and develop then I’m really pleased.”
Julie is also a strong advocate for empathic leadership, particularly by understanding the challenges people face outside of work which often go unseen in the busy day-to-day life on campus.
“Teaching is a rewarding but demanding profession, especially when you’re juggling a career and supporting a family. I always try to keep that in mind because we’re all human and you’ll get the best out of people if you’re understanding of what they’re going through. In the end, you want to do your best to help people meet those challenges and build resilience.”
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About OneSchool Global
OneSchool Global is an independent school network that has more than 8,000 primary and secondary students and 2,000 staff across the globe, in regions including United Kingdom, North America, Europe, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and the Caribbean. Our students come from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church community; however, OneSchool Global is not a religious school and only teaches religion as required in the curriculum.
